Improvement in ornamental wood-flooring tiles



R. FENN.-

Ornamental wood Ff'ooring-Tiles.

Pm n ted April 13,1815.

INVENTOR' W v M OOM i Attorn eys WITNESSES TH E GRAPH IC (20. PHOTO rLlTli; 39 8n 41PARK PLACE. N-Y- i; STATES PATENT ROBERT FENN, OF ROCHESTER, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE H. MELLEN, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORNAMENTAL WOOD-FLOORING TIL ES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,046, dated April 13, 1875; application filed August 4, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FENN, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVood-Tile; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in a new, cheap, and simple process of producing wooden tiles for floors, wainscoting, and other useful purposes, which shall be durable and cheap, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of a piece of the wood-tile complete and Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing the mode of making the tile.

It is a well-known fact that wood placed with the end of the grain up for floors or pavements will be far more durable than when laid in the usual manner; and wood so laid can be more readily and perfectly saturated with oil or other preservatives, and it will not warp, crack, or sliver up.

In the construction of my wood-tiling I use kiln-dried lumber one inch thick, as it can be more thoroughly dried than thicker material. The lumber is placed in a properly-constructed oven and heated to a suitable degree, when the boards are glued, cemented, nailed, pinned, or otherwise secured in the form of a log of any desired length and thickness, as shown in Fig. 2. The log thus made is then cut in slices crosswise, by a saw or other suitable device,

in the thickness required, usually one inch for floors or wainscoting.

The various kinds of wood can, by this process, be laid up in any form desired, and a great variety of designs can be produced, all having the end of the grain of the wood up.

After the tile are cut, as shown in Fig. 1, from the log, they are finished smooth on an emerywheel, and then saturated with linseedoil, or any other preservative desired.

In laying this tile, holes are made in their edges, and dowel-pins a placed therein. The first tile is laid and blind-nailed on its outer edge to the floor. The dowel-pins are then entered in the holes made in. the tile to be laid next to it, and puttied or glued, after which it is driven up tight.

By this arrangement the tile are secured to the floor, and also fastened together, and will be much more securely held in place than by simply cementing them to the floor.

By my process of laying-11p, the most beautiful and artistic designs can be produced in a cheap and rapid manner for floors. The tiling thus made and laid will not be cold to the feet 5 is noiseless, and will retain its position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A wo0d-tile for floors and other purposes, formed by cutting slices of wood from the composite log across the grain, and then attaching together the slices by gluing or otherwise, so that when laid the end of the grain will be presented to the surface, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of April, 1874.

ROBERT FENN.

\Vi tnesses:

Gno. H. MELLEN, 0. L. EVERT. 

